Obedience Lessons

Chapter Forty-three

Andy's POV

I was escorted back to the Audi. I guess it was to prevent me from any heroics. Right now, we were pretty much screwed, and I'd left Bree behind to pay for it while I got off basically scotch free with just a warning. I thought about all the reasons why Ryman let me off so easily. He believed that we were alike. The thought of having anything in common with that monster made me shudder. 'What if he's right,' was the thought that lingered at the back of my head.

I could not keep sitting out here in the parking lot. It would raise too much suspicion and put Ryman back on the alert, which I definitely couldn't afford. So I pulled out of the parking lot and cruised back towards downtown. When the apartments were out of sight I dialed Louisa's number.

The number you have reached is out of the serving area, or is turned off.

Louisa was smart. I couldn't imagine that anything would ever happen to her. But then again... she had reminded me of Bree, who was right now within Ryman's grasp. I hoped Louisa at least had made it out.

It was raining by the time I got home. My apartment door wasn't locked, which made me worried immediately. Fuck. I hope Dylan was okay. I eased my way into the apartment, calling out his name. "Dylan? Dylan, where are you?"

The only answer I got was silence and the knot in my stomach drew tighter. It didn't look like he was here, but the apartment was also exactly the way I'd left it. No signs of struggle, no broken glass, footprints or...blood. Nothing. I found Dylan's phone right in the chair where he had left it when he had come home for dinner earlier. Had he forgotten it? He must have.

But where would he go? Had he seen me leave in the Audi? Likely, since he'd know it couldn't have just fucking vanished, and it was now unlikely to be driven by someone else. He probably even recognized it as Liam's car.

I closed my eyes, trying to deal with all the thoughts that jumped, suddenly very present in my mind. Dylan had to be pissed at me right now. If he does know about the car, he probably figured out who I got it from too. Who know what he would do right now?

I keyed my apartment shut and went hopping back into the car. As I drove, I ran through all the places he could have gone in my mind. I tried the closest place first, his house just up the street.

One of the guards, I think his name was Dick or something like that -how unfortunate- came to the gate to meet me in the rain, shielding his head with a coat he was too lazy to properly put on. "He just left!"

"Did he say where he was going?" I asked, although I knew it was unlikely. He wouldn't speak to his security officers ever since we found out they were spying on him for his father. The guy shook his head no so I asked, "Can you tell me how he seemed, was he upset or...?"

Dick backed away from the gate, as if I would have attacked him or something. "Yeah. Yeah I'd say he was upset. You should go."

Maybe he was inside and was trying to get rid of me. "I'm not going anywhere. Let me in, I need to check on the dog while I'm here." He hesitated and I yelled, "Come on, just open the fucking gate!"

He opened the gate and I ran the length of the driveway, leaving the car in the entry way. I had keys to his house and got in hastily, the lights were off but I couldn't just give up. I started searching all of the usual places, ending with Spotty, who was in his kennel. He barked when he saw me and looked out and up at the sky. He was afraid of the rain as it hit upon the roof harshly, whining in frustration that he couldn't get to me.

I crouched in front of him, petting him roughly. "What am I gonna do, boy? I fucked up real bad Spotty." His wide brown eyes looked at me like he understood what I'd said and he yapped. "Yup. That's what I thought. I'm gonna find him boy. He can't have gone far."